Radiohead erase internet presence – is it a cryptic message?

Radiohead’s internet presence has essentially disappeared and the band have sent out cryptic leaflets in the mail, fueling speculation over when – and how – the band will release its ninth album.

A visit to Radiohead.com on Sunday offered viewers only a blank page, while the band’s six-year-old Twitter feed was also empty, featuring only a message saying: “@Radiohead hasn’t tweeted yet.” On Facebook, nearly 12 million users “like” a page with nothing on it.

Brian Message, of the band’s management company Courtyard Management, has previously said the new album, a follow-up to 2011’s King of Limbs, would be released in June. But by 1 May, some wondered whether it could come sooner, perhaps via an unusual method of delivery. Some fans have recently received cards in the mail emblazoned with the band’s bear logo and the words: “Sing the song of sixpence that goes ‘Burn the witch’.”

The band have a history of unveiling their music in unusual ways. Frontman Thom Yorke himself was among those handing out Radiohead-themed newspapers at record stores upon the release of King of Limbs. That album appeared within days of the band announcing it, heralded by a music video for the song Lotus Flower.

The previous album, In Rainbows, was initially distributed online, and fans were invited to pay any price they chose in order to download the songs. And a more recent Thom Yorke project, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, was provided for free via the download service BitTorrent.

As the band’s ninth album approached, fans discussed how they might like to receive it, with suggestions ranging from a “surprise webcast” to “directly into my vein”.